(Re,Bi)3(Fe,Ga)5O12 (Re=Y, Gd and Nd) thin films grown by MOD method

Bi- and Ga-substituted rare-earth iron garnet (Re,Bi)(3)(Fe,Ga)(5)O-12 (Re=Y, Gd and Nd) thin films were fabricated on glass, Si(1 0 0) and GGG(1 1 1) substrates using the metal organic decomposition (MOD) method, in which the metal-organic solution is spin-coated, dried, and sintered. Thin films with a garnet single phase were successfully obtained for sintering temperatures less than 750 degrees C. Thin films prepared on GGG were single crystalline, while those prepared on glass and Si were polycrystalline. The thickness and surface roughness of the polycrystalline film are estimated to be 40 and 0.8 nm, respectively, for a single coating in the MOD process. The magnetic and magneto-optical properties of the films are comparable to those of films prepared by other methods. (C) 2004 Elsevier B. V. All rights reserved.